Ghost Sniper

Sniper Elite #4

by Scott McEwen, Thomas Koloniar

In the next thrilling installment of the non-stop action Sniper Elite series from the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller American Sniper , a top secret band of elite warriors are forced to take a side in the Mexican narco wars.

Bob Pope, the director of an American secret intelligence anti-terrorist program, loses contact with his most trusted operative, Navy Master Chief Gil Shannon, fearing him dead when a mission to take out a Swiss banker who is channeling funds to Muslim extremists goes awry.

But when an American politician and her convoy are assassinated in Mexico City by the Ghost Sniper—an American ex-military gunman for hire employed by Mexico’s most ruthless drug cartel—Pope must turn to retired Navy SEAL Daniel Crosswhite and the newest Sniper Elite hero, ex-Green Beret Chance Vaught, to track down the assassin and expose the corrupt officials behind the murderous plot.

The newest heart-pounding Sniper Elite thriller takes you on an action-packed adventure to both sides of the Atlantic, filled with the intrigue and movie-worthy warfare fans of the series have come to know and love.

Genres: Military Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Espionage, Crime, Mystery Thriller

405 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2016

About the author

Scott McEwen is a trial attorney in San Diego, California. He grew up in the mountains of Eastern Oregon where he became an Eagle Scout; hiking, fishing, and hunting at every opportunity presented. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Oregon and thereafter studied and worked extensively in London, England. Scott works with and provides support for several military charitable organizations, including the Seal Team Foundation.

Scott's interest in military history, intense patriotism, and experience with long-range hunting rifles, compelled him to accurately record the battlefield experiences of Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in United States military history.

Japanese: スコット マキューエン

Reviews

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the hardest time rating this book, whether to give it a 3 or 4 star. But I suppose the action and political intrigue was good enough to give it at least 4 stars.

CIA Director Bob Pope, who has been expanding his secret intelligence antiterrorism program has sent Navy Master Chief Gil Shannon to kill a Swiss banker who's been channeling funds to Muslim extremists. But after losing contact with Shannon, Pope fears him to be dead.

The second plot of the story revolves around Mexico, where an American Politician and her team have been assassinated by the Ghost Sniper, hired by Mexico's biggest Drug Cartel. With Shannon MIA, Pope turns retired Navy SEAL and Gil Shannon's best friend Daniel Crosswhite and new comer Sniper Elite hero and ex-Green Beret Chance Vaught to hunt down the Ghost Sniper and hunt down the conspirators behind a deadly plot that will change the course of history in Mexico.

Ghost Sniper was nowhere near as entertaining or exhilarating as the first 3 books in the Sniper Elite Series, my #1 dislike about it being it didn't have enough of Gil Shannon in it, he felt more like a secondary character in this one and he didn't seem to be in on the action much, where Crosswhite and Vaught seem to be in on all the action.

But other than that, a great addition to the series, hope to see more!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly serviceable sniper novel.

Gil Shannon, the main guy in Sniper Elite is sent to kill off an evil-doer, but instead simply steals the man's woman.

Meanwhile, down in Old Mexico, Chance Vaught, who will become the new recruit, is the only survivor of the assassination of the US "Drug Czar." There's an American sniper involved who The Powers That Be want taken out, so another sniper, Daniel Crosswhite, is sent over the border.

The two stories combine in an organic way, and there isn't too much to keep track of among the double and triple crosses.

Pretty good, though a bit light, I think.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

What are these people doing? Did you ever read the first 3 books in a series, feel like you know the characters pretty well, and then have them go off the rails in book 4? Chance Vaught is a new character - he's a member of the DSS assigned to protect America's new drug czar, and the lone survivor of an attack that takes her life. Vaught finds himself involved in the cartel wars in Mexico, as rival organizations battle for the fate of the country.

Gil Shannon is in Switzerland, targeting a banker who funds Middle Eastern terrorists at Bob Pope's request. Then Gil turns into a dumbass, and Pope starts losing his edge and acting erratically. Can Dan Crosswhite and Pope's underlings save the day in spite of their boss? What is going on here?

The action in the book is fine, and there are even some good plot threads. But my overall impression of the book was... WTF?

[Roslyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Sniper delves into the ruthless drug cartels and corrupt officials in Mexico with zeal. This is the fourth book in the sniper elite series, but like the others it can be read as a stand-alone experience.

A new Elite hero, an ex-Green Beret, Chance Vaught, joins the team. Chance was the only member of politician Alice Downly’s convoy to escape assassination in Mexico City. He and former Delta Force operative, Daniel Crosswhite are ordered by Bob Pope, the director of an American secret intelligence anti-terrorist program, to track down the assassin, Ghost Sniper—an American ex-military gunman for hire. For this assassination he has been employed by Mexico’s most ruthless drug cartel.

There is also a secondary plot centering on Gil Shannon. Pope, has ordered Navy Master Chief Gil Shannon to take out a Swiss banker who is channeling funds to Muslim extremists. The assignment is interrupted when some Russian shooters go after Gil. Also, Gil is side tracked from his assignment by the banker’s fiancé, the beautiful adventurous Lena.

Personally, I could not warm up to Lena’s character. She is courageous, but I never understood her game. That aside, multiple plots each with it’s own twists and surprises makes this for a fast pace page turning read.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good entertaining audio book. Well done and does a good job.

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review - Ghost Sniper - Scott McEwen
Unfortunately, “Ghost Sniper” by author Scott McEwen is really not a Gil Shannon story. If you loved the earlier books in this Sniper Elite series, as I do, you should know that this is not a Master Chief Gil Shannon fast paced adventure and action story. Gill plays only a minor role in this particular book. And because of it I have struggled with how to rate it. I had to remind myself that this is the “Sniper Elite’ series not the Gil Shannon series; however it was the do the impossible, do the right thing with a good moral compass, with a sense of humor all with fast action lead character that earned my loyalty to the series. Ghost Sniper is still a good book; I just feel some disappointment and unsatisfied after reading it for the second time. Bottom line, this is a well worth the read if you like sniper-related action thriller books. It is well written, certainly one of the best of this genre but it doesn’t set the hook for the series as the earlier books do.

[Ana Maria Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy freaking sh*t !... this is fiction, right? 'cause damn it felt like real life for the ones who live down here in Mexico and Latin America.
Once again I grabbed a book out of impulse at my last visit to Barnes & Noble, and wasn't aware that it was book #4 of a series, but I am pretty happy with this buy and looking forward to the other books.
The author's written style is such vivid and real, I swear I could smell the blood and hear the rapid firing of the guns. The characters at first were a bit confusing cause I had not been introduced to them before, but as I read I became more in touch and able to distinguish them one from another.
The setting is al over Mexico and if you watch the daily news it pretty much describes the daily living in those cities.
There are a lot of books out there about the drug war, the narcos and the powerful cartels, but to my liking this is one is the closest I have read to the real life of these people...

[Benjamin Bingham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much like the first 3 books this one was a page turner. I gave it 1 star because I'm disappointed in the authors rewriting of Gil's character profile. He no longer seems like a "good" guy but rather a selfish 18 year old who just wants speed and sex. Plus, I'm getting tired of the author putting rape scenes in books, it adds nothing to the storyline.

[Jim Samas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want this book to end!
That's the best compliment I can give a book.
This "Sniper" series is a big time "must-read".
I really look forward to the next novel.
Thank you Scott McEwen & Thomas Koloniar for a kick a$$ adventure.
Keep up the great work!

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another outstanding book in an exceptionally good military thriller series by Scott McEwen. Probably best to read the earlier books in the series in order for context. All are highly recommended.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book on the adventures of Gil Shannon who appears to be embarking on a new stage in his career

[Nabarun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even the best of the men are humans. Gil Shannon goes for a kill of a Swiss businessman, but ends up falling in love & sleeping with the target's girlfriend. Hence he feels a bit of guilty conscience to kill the guy and reports back to Bob Pope asking for a replacement to fulfill that contract. In the meantime, Bob Pope is busy trying to get rid of the drug mules and kingpins along the Mexican-US border. While Shannon trying to get out of the country and escape, he meets with an accident and goes MIA.

At the same time, an American politician gets assassinated (a sniper strike) in Mexico and the security in-charge Chance Vaught chases the sniper only to lose the person after the chase but not before realizing that the assassin is an American sniper on contract in Mexico. Pope, unable to locate Shannon falls back on his old warhorse Dan Crosswhite to pair up with Chance and bring down the Mexican drug cartel gang-lords. Pope definitely has a motive in the scheme of things but deciding to keep it hidden from rest, just as he does all the time, only difference, he has lost a bit of sight from right and wrong.

Crosswhite gets pulled into the conflict, but he had worked out a side deal with the local police chief to help the honest cops train and stand against these drug cartel gangs. A great story about how the training goes on and the rest of the book focuses on the winning the ensuing war between them and how they finally win it.

Also interesting to note is the way Gil Shannon had faked his own death so that he could wriggle out of the hands of Bob Pope as his tool and assassin and have a life with the new love interest he found at the beginning of the book. But not before he helps Dan Crosswhite and his family secretly in the war against the drug lords in Mexico and settles the score with the American sniper who killed the American politician and many other cops in the drug war.

A thoroughly interesting and well spun tale, lot of great action sequences and gripping till the last page (how Shannon gets the girl back!). Loved the book and I feel this is really up there with the rest of the Sniper Elite novels that Scott McEwen has written thus far. My only reason not to give the 5th star is because I would have loved to read a little more of Shannon's exploits and sniping action which has become the trademark of Sniper Elite books. Here, Shannon actions and exploits were limited and that too with a handgun and not with his .308 Remington Modular sniper rifle, that left me wanting something more desperately till the end. Maybe that was intentional from the author but as a reader, we get into a book with a specific expectation and if its not there, we feel a bit disappointed & dissatisfied, almost despair.

Overall a great 4th novel in the series and I am desperately waiting to know what happens to all the characters (old and new) in the series and how the authors are going to segue into the next phase of the Sniper Elite journey.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Sniper (2016) is the fourth in the Sniper Elite series by Scott McEwen and Thomas Koloniar. The good guys (we think) are Robert Pope, the cold-souled Director of the CIA, who would throw his great-grandmother under the bus if it would aid his goal of turning the CIA into an effective and dreaded anti-terrorist agency; Gil Shannon, a Navy SEAL, Medal of Honor winner, top sniper, and Pope’s most treasured asset; Daniel Crosswhite, another Medal of Honor Winner and Shannon’s sidekick.

On the other side are different bad guys, depending on the specific book. In Ghost Sniper the central bad-guy group is a Mexican drug cartel ostensibly run by Hector Ruvalcava but actually led by Lazaro Serrano, a Mexican Senator and the odds-on bet for next president of Mexico. Serrano is assisted by the Mexican police and by an American ex-Green Beret named Rhett Hancock.—the “Ghost Sniper.” Hancock just adores seeing people explode when he snipes them with his Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, and if he can take out two or three with one shot his excitement is embarrassingly over the top.

The action takes place in Mexico, beginning with Hancock’s very public assassination of Alice Downley, the American drug czar, in Mexico City. This is followed by a wild shootout in which only the innocent are killed. Gil Shannon is there and he immediately takes out after the elusive Ghost Sniper. But because Gil exceeded the parameters of his mission, he becomes persona non grata and goes into hiding in China of all places. This leaves Crosswhite to do the heavy lifting back in Mexico. Fortunately, Gil returns in the final scenes and the two lead the good against the evil.

Enter another group, the Castañeda drug mob in northern Mexico. Castañeda wants to displace the Ruvalcava mob, and he has the backing of—wait for it—Robert Pope. Pope’s goal is to eliminate the very brutal Ruvacalva mob and, with it, the chances of Senator Serrano becoming Mexico’s president. He judges Castañeda as a more congenial drug boss that Ruvalcava and Serrano.

There is intrigue and treachery enough to satisfy any conspiracy theorist. And Lordy, the action and the pace! The Ghost Sniper is popping heads and bellies all over the place, and Crosswhite is trying his hardest to identify him and pin him down. At one point there is a Mexican shootout between 100 of the honest Mexican police (there were that many?) and 75 mobsters (including Hancock with the Barrett). This is perhaps one of the most satisfying scenes of mayhem and murder I’ve read since . . . ever!

I think this is a much better read than the third volume, which was certainly good enough to get me this far. It is tighter, it doesn’t have a confusing kaleidoscope of national venues, and the action is virtually nonstop.

Five stars.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Sniper. Scott McEwen

Book four of the series. An intensely powerful novel, oozing with action, betrayal, bravery... one Hell of an incredible read! Ex Navy Seal Gil Shannon and his cohorts Crosswhite and Vaughn, are tasked, or rather taken it upon themselves to aide an Mexican chief of police and an American station chief to rid Mexico of a corrupt presidential candidate. One Hell of a stupendous read!!!!

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and satisfying like all the other series novels. Arguably the best series in the CIA/SF genre. The various plots are integrated well, the characters are interesting and there is the requisite amount of violence. One thing I particularly liked was that the author avoided the usual stereotype and instead created strong willed and intelligent female characters that had principles and refused to be intimidated and manipulated.

[Jarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great novel in the excellent series. The theme shifted from unsanctioned military operations to purely illegal black ops. Consequently the characters we know from previous books became less black an white. There are no good guys any more, which made the book more difficult to read, but even more realistic.

[Ryan Hillis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Impressed. A dull book.

[Ryan Lynnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

I've read all of the Sniper Elite books and thoroughly enjoyed this one. Multiple plots and a great ending. I couldn't have asked for more. Read it in 1 day!

[Yoshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened?! Everyone acted so out of character!

[Guillermo Mata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empezando bien el año con una excelente historia

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th novel in the Sniper Elite series and it’s a good one.

This time, Gil Shannon (still, highly principled) is in Lichtenstein while Daniel Crosswhite (if not a loose cannon, then hard to control) is in Mexico. The narco cartels have infiltrated the Mexican government and a US diplomate murdered. In a complex plot, McEwen weaves a story of plans within plans (and double-crosses upon double-crosses). Throughout the book, the author has the reader guessing who’re the ‘good guys’ and who’re the ‘bad guys’ – and sometimes, even what the heck is going on(!). The CIA certainly isn’t portrayed as saintly. Has the Director of the CIA gone off the rails? Is he just VERY ruthless? Are there competing factions within the Agency? What is the US willing to do – and deal with whom – to assure a stable border and limit violence against civilians in the US and Mexico?!

Will the Medal of Honor recipients’ paths cross again in order to save the day? … Of course they will – and it’s the when and how that makes it a good read.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I peeked at a couple reviews before reading and thought I would be disappointed with this book. After finishing the book I learned the reviewers were not paying attention to the story or maybe only read the 4 th book oin the series. That is a must before reading this entry: Read the series in order to under stand what is happening to these characters.

This is the best of the four novels. In each the characters are being manipulated by one person. The author duo do not overtly explain this.There is plenty of evidence, but the reader has to pay attention. In the 4th book, the manipulator has had a jolt and finds themselves in a position of control, the last place this person should be, because here he can lose full control. The author duo do a top notch job job of setting up and unfolding a very complex plot where some of the best parts are not written.

The writing is still OK, but the story is well worth it.

Bottom line: i recommend this book: 9 out of ten points.

[Robby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to the next edition in the series. As a retired military person I of course related to much of the ins and outs of the story. But I appreciated it more because of what it didn't say. Sometimes these military genres have too much information. Specifically; technical terms or military jargon; to the degree one feels that you are either back in the military or should have been just to follow what is being said. That is not a concern with this read/series which will continue to rate high with me. Recommend to all readers who enjoy this genre or for those who just enjoy a good read. This can be read as a stand alone edition within the series easily. Of course it has its own story within a story running throughout. Looking forward to the next one.

[Veronica]

I was really looking forward to this novel. But was sad a little bit that the series was ending with Gil Shannon.

It took me a bit longer to read than the others. Picked it up and put it down a lot. Finally just enjoyed the sunshine to read through.

I wasn’t as impressed as the others. I understood the reasoning behind the decisions that were made, but still not my favorite of the series. I really liked Pope and the whole ATRU crew, [SPOILER] I was sorry he was turned corrupt or viewed that way.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful culmination of the events in Mexico. The parallel story lines taking place between Crosswhite, Gill, and Modero, as well as Pope and the numerous antagonists, all wove together like a brutally exciting chess game played out in the world of espionage and special operations. Once again, another great sniper/counter-sniper battle ensued. Easy to say that this has been one of my favorite series of this genre, for sure.

[Dave Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series out of order (2,1,3,4) because I wasn't aware of the series when I started. I enjoyed all of the books, except for the outlandish luck of some of the "good guys". This last book, however, was awesome. I really enjoyed it. It tied things together nicely, but not in a hokey way! Good read for anyone who enjoys this genre.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book although quite got in parts. There was a lot of political intrigue to keep people guessing and a lot of bickering amongst the main characters. But overall, an entertaining book.

[toni pfeifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as they get!

Scott is a master toastmaster! He tells the story in such a way that you can visualize everything and feel like you're there. A great story I wish we had more authors with this ability and talent.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another really enjoyable read, if a little predictable at times. I did struggle with the beginning, and wasn't sure after the first dozen pages if I would continue, but really glad I did as it picked up to a similar standard to the earlier stories.

Definitely recommend.

[John F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Adventure!

McEwen writes another exciting and riveting adventure novel. He splices together adventure, war, and love together in one novel. He then drowns it all together with intrigue and secrets. Great work! Excellent novel!